In Smaller Proportions: Take Two and a Quarter
by Zeff N Company
Summary: [A sequel to In Smaller Proportions] With all situation turned against them, Kyo and Yuki are forced to team up and accomplish the two things entrusted to them by the end of a long day.
1. He Speaks!

_**In Smaller Proportions - Take Two and a Quarter**_

* * *

_**Well, like I promised...it's here!**_

_**To the newcomers, good to have you, and hope you'll take interest in the first instalment "In Smaller Proportions".  
To those who have already read it, nice to see you again, and thanks for coming.**_

_**Okay, I'll keep this short and in points:  
One - I'm off Final Fantasy XI. Hopefully, for good. Which means I can't try and find any of you guys over there.  
Two - I got myself an extra part-time job to pay my bills, so I'll be busy. Which means I'll be slow now and then unless I get more time. Apology in advance.  
Three - I miss the good old days when my parents helped me cover costs for online games. What I'd give to be a kid again...  
Four - this would have been up a lot sooner, but one of my many talents is procrastinating.**_

_**Well, here we go.**_

* * *

It was yet another peaceful day in the Sohma residence. With all back to school and every other normal mundane activity, everything was just peachy for this home's current dwellers. 

Yuki was working on his assignment in his room when the front doorbell rang.

"Will someone get the door?"

_patter-patter-patter-patter-patter_

**thump!**

_patter-patter-patter-patter-patter_

As Yuki looked up, an A4-sized, reasonably thick package scuttled pass his door on a pair of short legs.

"... Um... Isn't anyone going to sign for that?" the delivery man can be heard feebly protesting from the doorway.

"Hang on, my good man! I'm coming!"

"Thank you, sir. Sign here, please... Thanks again."

Then Shigure stuck his head into Yuki's room.  
"Yuki-kun, have you seen little Kyo-chan?"

"He went that way."

"I don't - "

Then the walking package came back and bumped into Shigure's leg.

"Oh, there you are. What are you doing under there?"

"Bang-Bang!" the package replied.

"Ah, that would be mine. Thank you for bringing it in for me. You're a very helpful little fellow. Yes, you are."  
As he spoke, Shigure took hold of the package and lifted it off the little boy who had been carrying it all over the place.  
"Now go frisk your big brother Kyo while I take a look at this thing's insides."

"Bang-Bang!"

"SHIGURE!" Kyo hollered vengefully as the child made a beeline toward his fleeing form.

"Dear me, now, don't start swearing!"

"Bang-Bang!"

* * *

Yuki was interrupted from his homework a second time by a small hand reaching up - holding a rubber duck and squeaking it for his attention. It appeared that Kyo finally managed to shake chibi-Kyo off. 

"Bang-Bang?" chibi-Kyo asked hopefully.

"...alright, I'll finish up later."  
Reaching down and picking up the happy kid, Yuki rose from his seat and exited his room. In the living room, Shigure had taken a nice spot before the heated table. The package was open before him, and he was sorting through papers.

Yuki joined him for the moment, sitting down on a different side. "Is that our taxes?"

"No, that would be a thicker package. (1) These are from the orphanage; Kyo-chan's particulars."

"That's one hefty stack for one so small," Yuki commented, stopping the little boy from eating his own profile description

"Never underestimate the power of the new century."

Setting chibi-Kyo down to play by himself for a while, Yuki leaned forward to take a look. "So what else is there?"

"Just some available documentation of his background. There's his first picture right there; isn't that cute?"

Yuki picked up the photograph of a black-haired, scarlet-eyed infant and examined it. Then a yellow duck flew pass and bounced off the other side of the kotatsu, squeaking once in its journey.

"I got it!" Shigure called, rising from the table and swiping up the little toy. He turned to find chibi-Kyo fascinated by the empty envelope, holding it over his head and staring inside. Shigure held the rubber duck in front of chibi-Kyo's line of view, and waggled it a bit. That did the trick, and the toddler was reaching up eagerly for it, the envelope promptly forgotten and dropped to the side.

"Kyo-chan," Shigure crooned, holding the duck just a little out of the boy's reach. "Can you say 'Daddy 'Gure', Kyo-chan? Say 'Daddy 'Gure'."

"Bang-Bang!" chibi-Kyo exclaimed, still reaching for the duck.

Around that point of time, Kyo showed up, apparently calmed down from the earlier incident and ready to face the world again. He frowned slightly as he watched mini-him waving frantically like a fox after grapes. "... What are you doing?"

"Teaching him to call my name!" Shigure piped, still holding the ducky slightly out of reach from the feverishly waving little paws.

Yuki shook his head. "Shigure, I doubt he knows what you're talking about."

"He wouldn't care, anyway," Kyo muttered.

Indignant, Shigure turned around. "Well, that's where you're wrong! Kyo-chan here happens to be the smartest kid in the world! Aren't you, little fella?"

Not listening, the "little fella" waved desperately as he continued trying to reach for the rubber duck, filling the air with distressed cries of "Bang-Bang!".

Yuki groaned, snatching the duck from Shigure and tossing it back to chibi-Kyo. "He _doesn't care_, so will you knock it off, for crying out loud?"

The duck now safely back in his clutches, chibi-Kyo's large crimson eyes stared kittenishly up at them. Suddenly, he pointed at Shigure.

"Doggy," he declared confidently.

Shigure blinked. "... Woof?"

"That was quite unexpected," Yuki agreed.

Chibi-Kyo immediately glanced up at the gray-haired teen, and pointed at him.  
"Squeaky," he stated with a nod, and then he turned and pointed at Kyo.  
"Kitty."

Kyo blanched.

At that point, Tohru came into the room. In an instant, she noticed the tense surprise.

"Is everything alright?"

Before the others could explain, chibi-Kyo stared at Tohru. His eyes widened a little more than usual, and his little finger shot out again.

"Mama!"

Then there was a shocked silence.

Tohru dropped the book bag she was carrying as she stared at the excited child, still hopping on the spot and pointing at her.

"Mama! Mama! Mama!"

There was a gasp, then Tohru flew at the tiny guy and hugged him tightly. "I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE YOU!"

And all the other three males in the room could do was resume their shocked silence for a short span of time.

Five to six minutes estimated would be sufficient.

* * *

The kid called Tohru "Mama". 

She cuddled him, played with him, fed him, and she was "Mama".

All this time of cleaning, patronizing and headaches, and what did he get? "Squeaky".

He did not know which seemed better for the moment - to cry or to laugh. He settled for the usual compromise of doing nothing. Of course, doing nothing with an obvious shocked beyond shocked expression on his face; the term "flabbergasted" might be suitable for the situation.

"Um... Yuki-kun? Are you alright?"

That snapped him out of his reverie, and he made to look calm and perfectly fine. "I'm fine, Honda-san. Really."

"... _Well_!"  
Shigure finally recovered - this man who recovered sooner whenever Ayame dropped him a "classified T/M-rated" line - and shrugged.  
"Tohru-chan _is_ the only female in the place, after all. I'm not surprised if a little baby babble like that is bound to happen."

_That's not cute baby babble; that's a scheme!_

"What was that, Kyo?"

"I didn't say nothing."

"Well, regardless, out of the mouth of babes, we know the truths of the universe!" Shigure declared, sweeping chibi-Kyo up from Tohru's arms and holding him high above his head.  
"Well said, my boy! _Mama and Doggy-Daddy love you_! Isn't that right, _Mama dearest_?"

That was when the boys decided enough was enough.

As Yuki confiscated chibi-Kyo and removed him from the scene, Kyo let his fury fly.

Out in the safety of the hallway, Yuki held chibi-Kyo up to eye level, his expression one of desperation.

"Kyoshi: don't you ever do that again."

"Bang-Bang," chibi-Kyo replied, playfully tugging at a few gray strands.

Yuki pried his hair free before resuming his "lecture".  
"I mean it; don't. I'm _not_ 'Squeaky', Kyo's _not_ 'Kitty', Shigure's _not_ 'Doggy', and Tohru's _not_ your mother.  
"Don't do that again...alright?"

Chibi-Kyo nodded, then looked down hopefully.  
"... Bang-Bang?"

As Yuki let him down, chibi-Kyo looked up at the older boy. Then, beaming widely, he clamped his little arms around Yuki's leg in a hug.  
"Wuv yoo, oo-ki."

Before the teen could snap out of it, the toddler wandered off, squeaking his duck as he went.

_... I wonder when his play group starts..._ Yuki finally pondered.

* * *

**(1) Apology to anyone here who's from the IRS. Ever since I moved out from home and got myself that apartment when I was eighteen, I was never at all fond of the aforementioned company.**

**I apologize for how short this is; I'll try and make the second chapter longer.**


	2. Weekend Off

_**In Smaller Proportions - Take Two and a Quarter**_

* * *

_**And...here's the second chapter. Sorry it took so long, but life, career and habitual procrastination intervened.**_

_**Enjoy, folks...enjoy.**_

* * *

While children grow too fast for a parent's liking, sometimes they grow up just in the nick of time, and do things that provide efficient signals for change in routine.

Yuki had - with much relief - noticed one such change as of late, and decided it was Kyo's turn to do something.

"You want me to do _what_?"

"You heard me loud and clear the first time," Yuki rebutted, his expression unwavering.  
"Kyoshi's about ready for it, and you're more than ready to give it to him."

"I am _not_ getting anywhere near that little runt and his-" Kyo's mouth clamped shut with an audible "snap" as he stopped himself in time. Seething, forcing his temper back under control, he watched as chibi-Kyo came up to them. Looking from one to the other, the child waited. When they merely stared back, he walked over to Yuki and tugged at his pant leg.

"...there you are; he's ready," Yuki concluded with a finality.

"I'm not-"

Interrupting Kyo's protest, Yuki took hold of chibi-Kyo's hand and extracted his jeans from its hold. Then he pointed in Kyo's direction.

Chibi-Kyo's kittenish eyes brightened a little as he caught on, and went straight up to Kyo and seized the cloth over the side pocket of his cargo pant leg in one small fist. With light yet insistent little tugs, he looked up expectantly at the older boy.

Kyo would have cussed.

* * *

Later in the same day, Yuki seemed content - almost uncharacteristically so - as he sat on the porch and sipped a cup of tea. And as he caught Shigure staring quizzically in his direction, he simply widened his satisfied smile.

"_Lovely_ day, isn't it?" he quipped.

"...you haven't liked this time of day since way back when we first found Kyo-chan. But now that I think about it..."  
Shigure paused his own musing long enough to look around the premises.  
"Where _is_ our little chum?"

"Kyo's potty-training him in the bathroom," Yuki replied, his expression somehow smug in an eerie way.

Then a loud panicked outcry echoed from the direction of the bathroom.

"_NO_! If you're going to do that, do it here! Not there! Get over here-wait! No! Don't you _do_ anything! When I find that rat, I'm gonna peel him slow..."

It was Shigure's turn to smirk as he sashayed over to the door.  
"Do you boys need any help?"

"Shut up and go fetch something for the kid to step on," Kyo's growled answer came back.

Shigure obliged, laughing merrily all the way.

* * *

It took them several more days for things to finally settle back into routine, so much so that by then, it was as though it had always been this way, like the routine had never really been changed.

As Uotani returned to the living room, she pointed back with a thumb.  
"What's that small wooden three-legged bench doing in there?"

"We're potty-training Kyo-chan," Tohru replied easily.

This resulted in a strange expression on Uotani's face; Hanajima, once again, failed to betray a single emotion.

"Isn't he a little old to _not_ be potty-trained by now?"

"Eh?"  
Then Tohru realized who Uotani thought she meant, and broke into a desperate fluster.  
"Ah! No, not Kyo-kun! Kyo-chan! I mean...uh... Kyo-kun's potty-training Kyo-chan."

"..._two?_" Uotani blurted out in astonishment.  
"There can't be two Kyos; one is bad enough!"

Then the front door slid open, revealing a severely irked Kyo.  
"One more insult sent my way, and I'm shaving your head shiny!"

Yuki sidestepped him casually and set chibi-Kyo down.  
Earlier, before Uotani and Hanajima arrived, they had volunteered to take the kid for a walk, all for the sake of preventing a second chaotic scenario involving snack buns, poofs of smoke, animals running everywhere, and three naked men in the bushes.

Now, chibi-Kyo fumbled clumsily, yet determinedly, with his shoes until he got them off, and then clambered to his bare feet. He soon spotted Tohru and jumped on her with quite the athletic leap.

"Bang-Bang!" he cried out gleefully, latching himself onto Tohru's blouse and attempting to climb onto her shoulders.

Tohru shifted uneasily as she intercepted the monkey-like child's ascent.  
"Ah, not right now, Kyo-chan; we have guests today."

The boy looked sorely disappointed, but he obediently stopped right there, without moving an inch forward or backward. Unfortunately, that left him in an unsettling position that all his very short years of existence could not quite comprehend as anything wrong.

"... So this little ape is the second Kyo you meant?" Uotani quipped, staring at the child and his death-grip on Tohru's blouse.

"Um...yes..."

Uotani reached forward and took hold of the boy, meaning to help shift him into a less unsightly pose. Instinctively, chibi-Kyo's grip slackened and released, and he flopped backward as he suddenly found himself leaning on nothing.

In a hasty scramble, Uotani was soon eye-to-eye with an upside-down little boy, dangling by his feet in front of her.

With equal surprise written all over his little face, chibi-Kyo looked back at her, blinked, then looked down at the floor and to the sides at this whole new perspective.

"...whoops," Uotani commented, lowering him gently to the ground before righting him just as carefully.

At first, the boy just sat there, unmoving. Then he flopped onto his back and moved his feet in cycling motions toward Uotani's direction, grinning ecstatically as he clapped his small hands and filled the air with his usual words of comment.  
"Bang-Bang! Bang-Bang! Bang-Bang!"

"I believe he wishes for you to do it again," Hanajima commented.

For a moment, no one said anything. Then Uotani took hold of his ankles and held him upside-down again, earning delighted laughter from the happy kid.

"That's a lot of blood rushing to his brain..."

"He doesn't seem to mind...wait, I think he does."

As true to the comment, the kid suddenly went silent and brooding. Looking up in Uotani's direction, he pointed back down at the floor.  
"Bang-Bang," he informed politely.

As Uotani set him back down again, he got to his feet and walked up to Kyo. Reaching up, he tugged at the older boy's lowest pocket.

"Bang-Bang."

"... _Now_? We just got back!"

"Bang-Bang," chibi-Kyo whimpered, managing to do the pee-pee dance while maintaining his death grip.

All in the vicinity, save the two of them, quickly retreated away to give the boys a very wide berth.

Kyo twitched, but surrendered without another struggle. Prying his pocket free, he moved toward the bathroom as chibi-Kyo scrambled to keep up, the pee-pee dance long forgotten.  
"If you get it on my leg again, I'm sending you to your corner..."

Then Shigure's head popped into the open doorway as he swiftly interrupted Kyo's march.  
"Why don't you take a break for now, Kyo? I'll do the training today!"

"_You_? Mr. It-has-to-be-the-same-person-or-the-child-will-be-confused?" Yuki voiced both his and Kyo's suspicion, much more civilized than Kyo would have managed anyway. "What's the catch?"

"No strings, no catch, just me and little Kyo-chan. And the stool."  
Having said that, Shigure lifted chibi-Kyo easily and carried him the rest of the way, the pace albeit a little more hurried than usual.  
"Besides, I do believe the girls have something to tell you."

Kyo snorted. "...tell _us_? Cos' seriously, I've heard every insult I didn't need to hear. What could it possibly be, now, that I haven't heard before?"

"Simple," Uotani quipped. "We're kidnapping your domestic servant."

Tense silence.

For five seconds.

"_WHAT!_"

"She was joking," Hanajima informed in her usual monotone, saving Tohru the trouble and earning a smug smirk from Uotani. "Though, not altogether."

"What do you mean?" This time, it was Yuki's turn to speak. "What's going on? What's happening?"

"It is, as you would call it, a break. A mini-vacation. A weekend off," Hanajima explained, still in monotone and chilling solemnity. "Uotani and I have managed to reserve some facilities to use at the end of this week, we have decided that Tohru deserves some decent rest, and we are taking her with us. She herself, likes the idea, so it is all settled."

"What do you mean, 'it is all settled'? Don't we get a say in this!" Kyo demanded hotly. A bad move, he soon realized, as Tohru two best girlfriends glared at him in a dangerous, predatory manner.

"Are you implying our Tohru needs _your_ permission for every little thing, carrot head?" Uotani growled.

"Oh for heaven's sake, woman! You know what I meant! Sit down!" he snapped back in his defence. After all that time of forced acquaintance, he somehow managed minimal immunity. It wasn't always helpful, but it was helpful now; they sat down again and finished their speech.

"Besides, Shigure said it was fine; you two would be more than happy to take care of everything."

"He did?" Yuki questioned; better he speak and keep things civil than let the cat bungle it up again. "But he said he'd be away this weekend himself, and he specifically stated he can't take Kyoshi with him."

"Like I just mentioned, he said you two would be more than happy to take care of _everything_."

More tense silence.

For another five seconds.

"**_WHAT!_**"

* * *

Meanwhile, in a much safer place, Shigure grinned as he overheard the loud exclamation, knowing that the two knew everything now.

It wasn't anything to be pleased about, really, but if he was going to go, he was going to go with a smile.

Beside him, chibi-Kyo finished settling his pants and clambered off the stool to wash his hands.

* * *

"He can't do this to us..." Kyo groaned, not budging from his spot on the porch. "This isn't fair..."

"Must you complain about everything?" Yuki retorted, too tired for even the effort to sound criticizing. He was across the porch, not too far away from the one he spoke to now.

"Shut up," Kyo muttered, not even bothering to sound pissed. "...there has to be a way out of this."

"We are _not_ getting out of this," Yuki suddenly spoke up, sitting up with new resolution. "We agreed to take on this task, and we will take it on. It's our responsibility."

Kyo snorted and turned over. "_You_ take it on, then. See if I care."

Yuki turned his head slightly to look in his direction. Mutual difficulty didn't work. Fine then: pull out the trump card.

"What's the matter? Don't think you're up to it?"

Kyo shot up like a dart, eyes burning with unspoken rage for his dignity.

"I'll show you who's up to what! You'd better not be sneaking out this weekend, cos' you're going _down_!"

Jackpot.

Straight Ace.

Hook, line and sinker.

_Bingo_.

* * *

**Niana Kuonji**: Hello again, and thanks for dropping in. With any luck, I'll be able to fit it to it's predecessor's standards.

**OneBakatoRulethemAll**: Thanks for your vote of confidence; sorry if I let you down by taking this long to get my rear in gear.

**Aura Black Chan**: Sorry to disappoint you (yeah, that includes everyone else who were wondering if those two would try for a girl), but I haven't managed to incorporate a little girl into the storyline; too much time around Kenny, I guess. I may try something eventually, though, so I'll just keep my fingers crossed.


	3. Parental Guidance Required: Day 1

_**In Smaller Proportions - Take Two and a Quarter**_

* * *

_**I wish to take a brief moment to thank the following people:**_

_**Howling WereWolf - for spamming my mailbox with nagging to get back to work.**_

_**Sarah - for reminding me to get back to work.**_

_**Dick - for taking my desk trinkets hostage if I did not get back to work.**_

_**Woody - for helping Dick (for once) take my desk trinkets hostage if I did not get back to work.**_

_**Flypipe - for threatening to hunt me down and burn effigies on the lawn if I did not get back to work.**_

_**My boss - for pulling the "get your hind-y down here or get fired" trump card to get me back to work.**_

_**Angela - for making sure my desk trinkets were not harmed until I got back to work.**_

_**Jimmy - for getting me back to work in one piece.**_

_**Marco and Lexi - for their unwavering understanding, yet also unwavering insistence that I follow up on my commitments.**_

* * *

Kyo had always prided himself as one who - being a highly-skilled martial artist - never failed to awaken at the crack of dawn. 

But it wasn't even a hairline fracture of one on the weekend that he found himself set - and sat - upon by the very embodiment of young excitement.

"...tell me you didn't just wake me up at five in the morning."

"Bang-Bang!" came the happy exclamation as the much smaller individual bounced on the small of his back. Kyo promptly groaned and dropped his head back into the pillow, hoping to either drop back to sleep or asphyxiate himself into something similar.

Then a chubby finger stabbed him smartly in the back of his neck.

"_**Y-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A!!!**_"

One little toddler somersaulted across the room as his "carnival pony"(1) suddenly jumped up, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end from the sudden, intrusive contact with his spine.

"What was _that_ for, huh!" Kyo demanded, currently up and perched on his toes, eyes burning.

At which point a piece of paper was thrust in his direction.

Surprised into defeat, Kyo plopped back down on his tailbone and read the contents.

_**"Good morning, sunshine! And welcome to your first day of foraging for yourselves!**_

_**"I was going to leave you to your own devises, but since I'm such a great guy with a great heart, I thought I'd remind you that our little Kyo-chan starts play group today (you'll have to wake Yuki for the details), and our dearest Tohru left you the list of chores**_ _**in chronological order on the fridge.**_

_**"Have fun, fun, fun!**_

_**"Yours sincerely..."**_

"...Sohma Shigure,"(2) Kyo uttered the last address darkly, the paper promptly crumpling in his clenched fist. That dog was enjoying himself way too much at their expense; one day, when he wasn't looking, karma would come forth from the shadows and duct tape him to-

Wait..._play group_?

Chibi-Kyo scuttled over as Kyo attempted to smoothen out the note and read through it again, squatting at a safe distance as the older one's eyes flicked up and down.

"...wake Yuki for the details..." Kyo finally echoed the elemental instruction, and the toddler watched in fascination as his face changed drastically as he looked back up.

"...wanna play hooky?"

An ominous "thump" of sleep-heavy steps from across the hallway heralded the doomed message that it was already too late.

Forget karma, Kyo decided; he was calling dibs.

* * *

"...you got us lost again." 

"I did not."

"...give me that address."

"No."

"Give it to me!"

In the chaos that followed Kyo and Yuki's attempts to navigate themselves to chibi-Kyo's play group, the scrap of paper managed to flit away and into chibi-Kyo's waiting paws.

As the two continued their stress-induced, absolutely focused war on each other, chibi-Kyo held the paper upside-down as he stared at writing he could not understand. Cocking his head in puzzlement, he looked up and wandered over to a passer-by.

The lady in the long coat stopped suddenly, looking down in surprise at the child with a fistful of her expensive fabric.  
"Oh, _hello_ there, you little sweetheart. Can I help you?"

The argument promptly fizzled into non-existence as the two boys turned to watch chibi-Kyo hold up the scrap of paper for the lady's inspection.

"...oh, _that_ place. You missed the corner; just head back to the main road, turn left and turn left again. You'll find it in no time."

"'ank 'oo," chibi-Kyo babbled in reply, waving after her as she left. He was promptly lifted up into the air and looking eye-to-eye with a pair of very concerned guardians.

"It's time we established some ground rules," Yuki decided, continuing, "From now, _we_ ask for directions..."

"...and _you_ do not talk to strangers," Kyo finished firmly.

Chibi-Kyo blinked, then turned and pointed back at the direction given earlier.  
"Bang-Bang!" he exclaimed insistently.

* * *

"There, now that wasn't so hard," Yuki concluded - more for his own benefit - as they found themselves finally at the doorstep of the day's caregiver.  
When, how, or why Shigure had infiltrated into their ranks and won chibi-Kyo's membership was beyond them.  
Narrator included. 

Thankfully to distract us all came the door swinging open, as said caregiver came out with an assortment of children's shoes.

"Oh, there you are! You must be the new family that just joined our circle! And this must be our newbie Kyoshi!"

"Well..."

"Oh, don't be shy! We'll have the boy feeling at home in no time!"

"...alright," Yuki managed, feeling a little apprehensive before this overly eager person. "We'll...ahem...just leave it to you then. Have a good day, Kyoshi."

Chibi-Kyo looked back up at them, then cocked his head again in puzzlement.

As they turned to go, he turned as well to follow them back out.

"...no, Kyoshi, you stay here," Yuki attempted to explain.

Chibi-Kyo, upon realizing that he was about to be left behind in a strange place, promptly latched himself onto Kyo's pant leg.

"Hey, let go!"

"N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N!!!!" Chibi-Kyo voiced his disapproval, proving just how capable he was of hanging on as Kyo frustrated himself further trying to detach the child.

The caregiver watched them with an understanding eye, set the shoes down, and approached carefully.  
"... Kyoshi."

Chibi-Kyo eyed her warily as she squatted to his level and whispered something for his ears only. Then his wide eyes widened further, his hands released Kyo's pant leg, and he jumped into her waiting arms.

"Good boy. Now go on inside and play."

Yuki and Kyo stared in shock as the little figure zipped into the house like he belonged there, at first a little unsure of what to say.

Then the word came:

"...how...?"

"I told him I have chocolate in my purse."

"...amazing."

"I find it quite rewarding to speak the universal language of food(3) in the childcare industry," the caregiver agreed, standing up once more. Hesitating, she smiled and patted Yuki reassuringly on the shoulder.  
"I know how hard it is for new couples to leave their children in a stranger's care, but don't you worry about a thing; he's in very good hands."

"Uh, tha..." the expression of polite gratitude shriveled and died on Yuki's lips as both he and Kyo came to the same realization at the same time. What followed was basically strangled.

"You thought..."

"We were..."

"But we're not..."

Protests went unheard as the door clicked shut, the caregiver already inside and chibi-Kyo's shoes lined up neatly with the other children's.

"...I can only think of one reason, and that is a name."

"...Shigure."

"Bingo."

Kyo groaned and trudged back into the street. "I suddenly have the urge to visit a bar and melt all these bad images from my head with strong alcohol."

"Not happening; we still have that list of chores to go through."

Ignoring him, Kyo walked on. "_You_ go through it, then. I'm blowing my mind to oblivion."

He found himself promptly tripped and tasting concrete.

"Guess again, buster. Now come on."

"Don't tell me what to do, you freakin' _rat_!"

"One of us has to be the mature one around here, and I doubt it's you, puss."

"I'M KICKING YOUR SELF-RIGHTEOUS BEHIND ALL THE WAY TO TA-what are you doing?" Kyo asked, his challenge cut short by Yuki's having flipped out a mobile.

"Here's your choice: come back quietly and do your bit, or I call Kagura and invite her over to help."

"You slimy little-"  
Kyo was cut off once again by Yuki's thumb hovering over the "call" button. With a defeated growl, he turned and followed Yuki back homeward.

"...when this is over, I'm going to kill you. In a very messy way."

"Whatever you say."

* * *

1: See ISP, Ch 5. 

2: In tribute to Once Upon A Giant, which I have - for shame - failed to follow up on.

3: Apologies to Cathy Guisewite.

**Aura Black Chan**: Indeed, they do. And I gathered if I were being trained in anything by Kyo, I'd learn and learn _fast_.

**Kuwasu**: Yes, I know. I'm sorry about it; I just let myself drop all this time.


End file.
